“Pro Athletes” means those certain professional triathletes that compete in Championship Qualifying Races and are active members of, and in good standing with, the Ironman® Pro Membership Program.

Qualification By Pro Rankings

A Pro Athlete’s PR is calculated using the Qualifying Points taken from the athlete’s five (5) highest scoring Championship Qualifying Races.

To qualify for the 2018 Championship Race, Pro Athletes can earn Qualifying Points from Championship Qualifying Races during the 2018 Championship Qualifying Year only (i.e., Qualifying Points do not carry forward from one qualifying year to the next).

The 2017 Ironman® 70.3® World Championship Race is a Championship Qualifying Race for the 2018 Championship Qualifying Year and may be included in the calculation of a Pro Athlete’s PR, provided, however, that Pro Athletes using their PR score to enter into the 2018 Championship Race will be required to finish at least one (1) other Championship Qualifying Race (other than the 2017 Ironman® 70.3® World Championship) during the 2017 Championship Qualifying Year.

Qualification Cut-Off Dates; Slot Roll Down

The PR will be calculated two (2) times during the 2018 Championship Qualifying Year to distribute the Pro Athlete slots for the 2018 Championship Race. The first PR will be as of June 3rd, 2018 (the “June 3rd PR”), and the second PR will be as of July 1st 2018 (the “July 1st PR”).

Subject to the requirements set forth herein, the top forty (40) male and female Pro Athletes based on the June 3rd PR will qualify for a race slot to compete in the 2018 Championship Race (the “June 3rd Qualifiers”), provided, however, that each June 3rd Qualifier must, prior to the Championship Registration Cut-Off Date, register for the 2018 Championship Race.

Any 2018 Championship Race slots that are declined, unclaimed (as determined by IRONMAN, in IRONMAN’s sole discretion), or withdrawn on or before June 30th, 2018 (Eastern Standard Time) will roll down to the next highest ranked Pro Athlete based on the June 3rd PR.

Any 2018 Championship Race slots declined, unclaimed (as determined by IRONMAN, in IRONMAN’s sole discretion), or withdrawn on or after July 1st, 2018 (Eastern Standard Time) will roll down to the next highest ranked Pro Athlete based on the July 1st PR.

Subject to the requirements set forth herein, in addition to the June 3rd Qualifiers, the highest-ranking ten (10) male and female Pro Athletes based on the July 1st PR that are not June 3rd Qualifiers (the “July 1st Qualifiers”) will be qualified to race in the 2018 Championship Race, provided, however, that each July 1st Qualifier must, prior to the Championship Registration Cut-Off Date, register for the 2018 Championship Race.

Once a 2018 Championship Race slot has been declined, unclaimed (as determined by IRONMAN, in IRONMAN’s sole discretion), or withdrawn, there is no recourse for such Pro Athlete to reclaim such slot.

PR Tiebreakers

Ties resulting in more than forty (40) male or female June 3rd Qualifiers will be broken by the Tiebreakers (described below), based on the June 3rd PR.

Ties resulting in more than ten (10) male or female July 1st Qualifiers will be broken by the Tiebreakers, based on the July 1st PR.

In the event that two or more Pro Athletes remain tied after the 3rd Tiebreaker, the applicable tied athletes will qualify for the 2018 Championship Race.

PR Qualifier List & Final Slot Roll Down

On or about the Championship Registration Cut-Off Date, IRONMAN will publish a list of Pro Athletes who have qualified for the 2018 Championship Race (the “2018 Qualifier List”).

On or about the Championship Registration Cut-Off Date, any 2018 Championship Race slots that are, as of the Championship Registration Cut-Off Date, declined, unclaimed (as determined by IRONMAN, in IRONMAN’s sole discretion), or withdrawn, will be rolled down by IRONMAN to the next highest-ranked Pro Athlete based on July 1st PR.

Subject to certain requirements set forth by IRONMAN (and as may be changed from time to time by IRONMAN), former Pro Athlete Ironman® 70.3® World Champions will receive an invitation/exemption to enter the Pro Athlete division in the Ironman® 70.3® World Championship for a period of five (5) years after winning the Ironman® 70.3® World Championship (the “Five Year Exemption”). For example, the 2017 Championship Race winners (male and female) will receive exemptions to enter into the Ironman® 70.3® World Championship held during the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Former Pro Athlete Ironman® 70.3® World Champions using the Five Year Exemption to enter into the 2018 Championship Race will be required to validate their entry by racing competitively (as determined by IRONMAN, in IRONMAN’s sole discretion) and finishing at least one (1) Championship Qualifying Race (excluding the 2017 Ironman® 70.3® World Championship) during the 2018 Championship Qualifying Year.

Each male and female Pro Athlete winner of the Ironman® 70.3® Regional Championship Races (listed below) will be qualified to participate in the 2018 Championship Race (the “Regional Champion Exemption”).

Pro Athletes using either the Five Year Exemption or the Regional Champion Exemption to compete in the 2018 Championship Race will be acknowledged as part of the June 3rd PR and July 1st PR. However, such athletes will not be considered in the selection of June 3rd Qualifiers and July 1st Qualifiers (for example, if a returning Ironman® 70.3® World Champion uses the Five Year Exemption and is ranked in the top 40 women, the 41st ranked woman will also be qualified to compete in the 2018 Championship Race).

Ironman® 70.3® Regional Championship Races

2017 IRONMAN 70.3 Middle East Championship

Location: Manama, Bahrain

Date: November 25, 2017

2017 IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship

Location: Western Sydney

Date: November 26, 2017

2018 IRONMAN 70.3 European Championship

Location: Elsinore, Denmark

Date: June 17, 2018

2018 IRONMAN 70.3 U.S. Pro Championship

Location: St George, Utah

Date: May 5, 2018

EVENT LISTING/ POINTS/ PRIZE PURSE/ REGISTRATION DEADLINES information can be found on the EVENT REGISTRATION